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Dr. Jennifer Campagna and Dr. Cynthia... huntingtonbeachchiropract... |
For the accountant, see Cynthia Cooper (accountant).
Cynthia Lynne Cooper-Dyke (born April 14, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American basketball player who has won championships in college, the Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is considered by many as one of the greatest women's basketball players ever.[1] She played for the Houston Comets from 1997–2000 and again in 2003.
[edit] PersonalAlthough born in Chicago, Illinois, Cooper grew up in South Central Los Angeles, California. She was married to Brian Dyke in 2000. Cynthia is a mother to twins, a son, Brian Jr., and a daughter, Cyan, born June 15, 2002. In 2000, she published her autobiography, entitled She Got Game: My Personal Odyssey, which covered her childhood, her basketball career up to that time, and her mother's battle with breast cancer. A noted disciplinarian, Cooper has long been well-known for understanding rules. [edit] High school yearsShe attended Locke High School before enrolling at the University of Southern California. [edit] College yearsCooper was a four-year letter winner at guard for USC from 1982–1986. She led the Women of Troy to back-to-back NCAA tournament titles in 1983 and 1984 and closed out her collegiate career with an appearance in the 1986 NCAA tournament championship game and a spot on the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. Cooper ranks eighth on USC’s all-time scoring list with 1,559 points, fifth in assists (381) and third in steals (256). She graduated from USC in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree. [edit] International careerCooper played for USA Basketball as part of the 1987 USA Women's Pan American Team which won a gold medal in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cooper was a member of the gold medalist 1988 US Olympic Women's Basketball Team.,[2] and the Bronze Medal team in 1992.[3] [edit] WNBA careerCooper was voted the WNBA's MVP in 1997 and 1998 and also won four WNBA Championships with the Houston Comets. She was named Most Valuable Player in each of those WNBA Finals. Cooper was named the 1998 Sportswoman of the Year (in the team category) by the Women's Sports Foundation.[4] During the Comet dynasty, she was a vital part of the triple threat offense with Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson. When retired in 2000, Cooper became the first player in WNBA history to score 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 2,500 career points. She scored 30 or more points in 16 of her 120 games and had a 92-game double-figure scoring streak from 1997–2000. She went on to coach the Phoenix Mercury for one and a half seasons. Cooper returned as an active player in the 2003 season, but announced her final retirement from professional basketball in 2004. Afterwards, she served as a TV analyst and halftime reporter for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. [edit] College coaching careerIn May 2005, Cooper was named the Head Coach of the women's basketball team at Prairie View A&M University. Cooper's impact at Prairie View was immediate. In just her second season, Cooper led the underdog Panthers to the SWAC tournament title, netting the school its first-ever Women's NCAA Tournament bid. In January 2008 the NCAA penalized Prairie View for NCAA rules violations committed by Cooper, reducing the number of scholarships for the team. The school was placed on four years' probation for "major violations" in 2005–2006 that ranged from Cooper-Dyke giving players small amounts of cash to various forms of unauthorized practices.[5] Cooper also gave players free tickets to Comets game, which is another NCAA infraction. [edit] Hall of FameCooper-Dyke was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.[6] [edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: 1963 births | African American basketball players | Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | African American sports coaches | American basketball coaches | Shooting guards | Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics | Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics | Living people | People from Chicago, Illinois | People from Los Angeles, California | College women's basketball coaches | Houston Comets players | Phoenix Mercury coaches | USC Trojans women's basketball players | Olympic basketball players of the United States | Olympic bronze medalists for the United States | Olympic gold medalists for the United States | University of Southern California alumni | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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